Horticultural Science and Technology 원예과학기술지 ISSN:1226-8763(Print) 2465-8588(Online)

Green manures and compost have been widely used as alternatives to chemical fertilizers. The present study aimed to assess the changes in red pepper (Capsicum annuum) yield, soil properties, and soil enzyme activities under organic and inorganic nitrogen fertilizer management. The treatments used here were chemical fertilizer (CF), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.) residue with CF (HV+N), and livestock compost (LC). The same amount of nitrogen was applied in all treatments. In general, all fertilization treatments significantly increased red pepper growth, yield, and macronutrient content compared to the control (CON); however, no differences were observed among the fertilization treatments. The phosphorous uptake rate was significantly higher in the HV+N treatment than the LC treatment. Post-experiment soil analysis showed that the LC application significantly increased soil organic matter, electrical conductivity, and available phosphorus content compared to the CF or HV+N treatments. The CF treatment significantly increased the nitrate content in the soil. The HV+N and LC treatments significantly increased soil dehydrogenase activity. The CF treatment resulted in significantly higher urease activity in the soil; whereas there were no differences in β- glucosidase and phosphatase enzyme activities among the treatments. These results suggest that the addition of hairy vetch residue to inorganic fertilizer, or a compost application, can increase enzyme activities while providing similar crop yield to those obtained with a chemical fertilizer application.